Unmasked (SYOC)
by Elle S Goudie
Summary: In a world run by fate, there are ten girls whose fate is undetermined by the universe. A mysterious Prince is ruling over the Kingdom Aeneas, but he is controlled by a higher power is forced into a Selection where these ten girls may fight for his love, but so much stands between this Prince and the love he desires. Will he be able to conquer Fate and find love? 6/10 SYOC OPEN!
1. Chapter 1

Unmasked

* * *

Far away from any modern civilization, there is a hidden land. Covered by fog and mist, surrounded by frozen seas lurking with dangerous monsters, and veiled by reigning mountains in a ring around all population, there stands the proud land of Caexus. In the midst of the raging heights of the great, snowy mountains lay the small Kingdom of Aeneas. This Kingdom was ruled by the good King Admetas Maretze and his wife, Queen Alcestis.

This island was like any other, with good people who obeyed the rules of their monarchy, and a royal family adored by all. However, Caexus had a special connection to the mythical knowledge of the world. The rest of the world was ruled secretly by a force above, and they were unknowingly following the destiny set for them by fate itself. The Kingdom of Aeneas, however, could directly contact fate, as the Fates walked among them.

For centuries, three beautiful women ruled over the land, and while the people praised the royalty, the royalty praised the Fates. These three women took care of the thread the people of Aeneas called life. Every string of the people on Caexus was hidden deep in a mountain, a place only know by the Fates. It was a secret place never to be eyed by human gaze, for if it should the Fates would have to take their business elsewhere, leaving the people of Aeneas without lead and direct aid. The people looked to the Fates as if they were Gods. In reality, they were. Each had their own duty, and their own name. As a whole, they were typically referred to as the Parcae, but each woman was so different from the other. Nona was named Nina by the royal Maretze family, and her duty in the name of fate was to spin the Thread of Life that each person metaphorically wielded. Decuma, or Daniella as named to appear more human, measured the Thread, and controlled the storage in the mountain. Daniella was more connected with the people, and was the main source of communication between the people and the Parcae. Morta, on the other hand, was the one to cut the Thread when the human's life was decided complete. Fulfilled or not, it was their time.

Sometimes the people grew angry at the Parcae for killing their loved ones, but the Parcae worked according to the laws of the universe, and when time came, they could do nothing but comply. However, when someone was killed by the hand of another, it ruined the plan the Fates had created for those lives involved. Murder had always been a crime, but soon homicide was not the only thing creating a problem for fate. Suicide grew to be a concern of those in love with the idea of fate taking its course. It was made a crime to tamper with the fate of anyone's life, including one's self. If any person in a family committed any act towards fate's demise, the name of said family would be shunned for eternity.

But the Parcae were old. Centuries, millenniums old –– They were in need of help. So, around two centuries before King Admetus was crowned, the Parcae created a new race of Fates. They found three young men whose fate could no be seen by the rulers of all fate. This trait was rare, but it gave possibility to wondrous, adventurous, and diverse lives. So they took these men and trained them to become the next race of Fates when they were gone. It would take centuries to ready them for the position they were to withhold, and they were almost ready when something terrible happened.

The three trainees made a name for themselves, calling their little group the Moirai, a new race of Fates that would supposedly be better than the last. They told the royal family that the Parcae had changed the fate of the King and Queen, claiming that the couple would never produce an heir. The Queen was devastated, and for his wife, the King threatened to banish the Parcae to remain in the dungeons of the palace for all of eternity. When the Parcae denied this act, the King cast them away, throwing guards at them to capture them to be placed in the dungeons.

But the Parcae escaped, fleeing to the Cave of Life, their secret cave in the mountains where their threads lie. They stayed there, away from the kingdom where they would be harmed and attacked if ever seen, but they stayed away in remorse. They wished they could have done more for their dear kingdom.

Then the Moirai lurked over Aeneas, without the restraints of the Parcae. But they had done more evil than could have ever been done before in the history of the Fates. They had lied to the King and Queen when they told them that the Queen was infertile, and when the Parcae were finally out of the way they told the Royals that they had returned their fertility. Soon after, they had a son. The Prince would grow to be the heir of the throne, taking over his father's work and learning all he needed to know about the history of his dear kingdom. But soon after he was born, a fire devastated the palace, killing hundreds of castle staff and the boy's parent's, too. The Moirai took on the job raising the child, teaching him everything he needed to know about how to become the perfect King. For the time being, the Moirai ruled over Aeneas as they raised the little prince, but they hid him from the public and the kingdom in its entirety. No one knew his name, his face, or the colour of his eyes. Not a single person other than the Moirai knew him at all, but there were a few exceptions ...

The Parcae would meet him in secret, sending him secret letters to tell him to find them in places around the kingdom's edge––they knew that the Moirai would come after them if they neared the Prince with their knowledge. He would meet them in the Cave of Life whenever they had to teach him something, because there was one thing that the Parcae knew about the royal bloodline that the Moiarai did not.

One of the Parcae, Daniella, had made a terrible mistake when the Kingdom of Aeneas had just begun to bloom. Centuries before, she had engaged in a sexual relation with a human male and produced an offspring: half Fate, half human. This child was deemed the beginning of the royal bloodline, beginning centuries of prosperity for the kingdom and it's people. However, the crossbreed of a Fate and a human meant altered power. This offspring was more connected to fate than any human, and not only could he see the Threads of Life and understand how they worked without ever being taught, but he had ever power the same as the Fates. He could do whatever he liked, but it was moderated by the fates themselves. He would change fate for those who could pay, and while the Parcae did not like what the halfblood was doing they let it take its course because they foresaw that it would not do much harm. It ended well, and years later, things began to change.

Over time the bloodline was diluted, and the blood of Fate took up a sliver of the percentage in the blood of the current Prince. But that was unknown to the Moirai. Now, people of the royal bloodline have only the strong power to do one specific thing. They could switch fates with a person of their choosing. It would change the course of history during the life of the two participating in the swap, and no other person would ever know anything other than the result. But the Fates always knew. The Moirai, on the other hand ...

The Moirai had no idea this had ever happened. They didn't know the power this new prince had within him, and neither would he have if the Parcae had not taught him. In reality, the Parcae were the ones who brought him up to become a Prince. They helped him hide his identity from the public, spreading rumours of what he looked like and starting wildfires of where he would be so he could escape and see the kingdom sometimes when he wanted to. They acted as his mothers, the good people in his life, while the Moirai tried to force him to follow theirs rules so they could control the entire kingdom behind his back. But he was aware of it thanks to the Parcae. He was aware and even though he was completely naive, the Parcae helped him grow a strong mind so he could be even slightly in control.

But the Moirai were growing worrisome that the Prince would fall away from their influence, and while unaware of the Parcae's own contribution to his minimal actions, they made a quick decision to force more control onto his life.

The Moirai decided to host a competition, but they wanted to find participants that would work for the result. They contacted the Parcae, asking for their aid as there were a few things their power did not extend to, while the Parcae's power was limitless. They asked the Parcae to find women in the kingdom whose fates were undetermined. It was a rare trait, but a select few had fates that were unseen by any race of Fate: Parcae or Moirai. So these women were to be brought into the palace and participate in a time-old competition.

A Selection. These women would fight for the heart of the Prince, but there was an exception ... The Parcae's wanted to give some kind of control to fate itself, rather than having control taken over by the Moirai. So the original Fates bargained with their mirrored race, coming to a final conclusion to their plan. They would host the selection, but this was to force fate to find one of these girls and the Prince together as a result. So, each person would wear a mask, covering most of their face save for their eyes, to prevent their identity and outer beauty from affecting the factors towards whether or not love forms. The Moirai came up with an extra idea, too. They wanted to add their own evil flair to the competition, so they made a final decision, thanked the Parcae for their aid, and hid the three women in the dungeons in case they needed help at any point in time with power they didn't have access to. Of course, the women could easily leave the dungeons, but they could not allow the Moirai to have access to such knowledge. They hid too much from them that if they were caught with one hidden secret, they feared all would be released.

The Moirai were three men. The Parcae had given them names according to their original names. Atticus was called Atropos, Claude was called Clotho, and Lawrence was called Lachesis. These three men dressed themselves in dark cloaks, hiding themselves and proposing mystery in their appearance to the public. They were in control, and they made that clear on many occasions, but they stole the power over the kingdom from the Parcae. They took over, and death was their main focus. Their decision regarding the coming Selection was that there would be three other men who looked much similar to the Prince himself. Each man had different colour eyes, but only the two races of Fates and the four men knew who was who. These four men would be called the Fier. In addition to that ... If any woman fell for a man that was not the Prince, they would be killed––their string cut in two. The Moirai confiscated the strings of each girl chosen, each string was the same ... Undetermined and shimmering with opportunity.

* * *

A man stood in front of a mirror, staring at his reflection. His eyes grazed over the neat grey suit he wore, given to him by one of his mentors. However, he did recall photographs of his late father wearing this suit. It had been for formal parties held by the Aeneas palace years ago when he himself was just a babe. That was all before his parents were killed in the fire.

The Prince was nervous. He did not feel as if this Selection was going to solve anything. He knew it would only make the hatred between the Moirai and the Parcae stronger, and perhaps even allow the Moirai to grow in power. And meeting so many girls without seeing their faces? He understood the point to that factor, but he was still nervous about meeting women whose faces he could not see. Why didn't they let the girls have plain faces and the Fier have masks? And what was up with that name––the Fier?

"Your Highness." A voice caught his attention, and he looked behind him in the reflection of the mirror. A smile flashed across his pale lips and he turned, facing his company.

"Dani." He greeted the second Parcae, Decuma. She had been the closest to him throughout all he had endured, and while the other two had been equally by his side, he felt as if Daniella provided a more maternal warmth. "What are you doing here? The Moirai are probably going to come and get me at any moment."

She pushed towards him, every movement with grace and poise as if her feet never even touched the ground beneath the flowing silk of her white gown. Placing a hand on his cheek, she offered him a kind smile. "My son," she whispered, a name she had given him that he had accepted. The young Prince had not known his parents, only seen photographs of their smiles and the ways they held him so dearly. He knew that they loved him, but the love that had been lost with their lives was given now by the presence of Daniella. His fragile heart was not able to understand why she loved him so dearly as her own son, but he accepted it because it was the only true source he ever felt of such an emotion. "You are afraid of them, I know that. But please, if you do not bide by their rules, you will fall as your parents have."

His brow furrowed, as it had many times before when she mentioned his parents' demise in the wake of the Moirai. "Please tell me what you truly believe happened."

Daniella backed away, hands by her side as she shot a glance towards the door. "They are coming. I can feel their presence looming." Her voice shook, and she looked back to the Prince, eyes intense with anxiety and anticipation. "You must call us at any time, whenever you need assistance of any kind. Do not be afraid of us, but continue to fear them. Please understand that they are not good. We are good, my son––you are good." She rushed to him, holding his face in her hands as his fearful eyes stared back into hers. His heart raced under his fingers, and she knew that the Prince too could feel the oncoming presence of the Moirai. "You know the other three men. You know who they are, and I know you don't like that they were the ones chosen, but it is for your own good. I promise you, even though I cannot see what will happen in the future I will do whatever I can to protect you and your fate. Those girls ... They are unpredictable. Their fates cannot be seen right now but the moment I can see something I will tell you."

It only took a single blink for her to disappear, and the door swung open, revealing three men in dark hoods. The Moirai.

The Prince stood straight, allowing his body to face them completely. Behind his back he lays his hands, and on his face he put a smile. The men soon surrounded him, taunting him with their words, seemingly concerned but he knew they cared none. "Are you prepared to meet these ladies, Sir?"

"Yes," he responded, and they turned, leading him from the room. Before he found his way out the door, he picked up a sleek black mask, decorated with nothing but a glaze to shimmer in the light. Pulled it over his face he marched from his chambers, and closed the door behind him. Outside stood three men bearing the exact same mask he did. He knew who these men were, he even knew one personally.

The first was a guard, taken from his position protecting a prisoner's cell to ensure his escape never came. The second, a servant to the Prince himself, one that had been there for his majesty for years on end. The third man was not good ... A convicted criminal for the worst crime ever to be committed in a world like this. These three men were to act as if they were no one, as the Prince was to do also.

But each were given a nickname––that applied to their ideals––to keep their identity quite safe, but the one thing that kept them separate by visual was the colour of their eyes. The man with blue eyes took the name Zelos, the man with the green eyes took the name Eleos, with the brown eyes was a man called Aidos, and behind gold eyes was Anteros.

These men made up the Fier, the group of men set out to aid the fate of the future King and his unfound Queen. They were all prepared, but each had their secrets to carry with them into the competition. Each had their own worries, and their own wishes for their own future.

* * *

This is just the beginning of a whirlwind story prepared to blow your mind around every corner. A play on Kiera Cass' classic Selection turned into a storyline following fate and those who dare tamper with such a force will be on your mind every moment of every day. With games played by good and evil: of romance, of hate, of death and all surrounding such aspects, this story will dance on cliffs, leaving you hanging and on the edge of your seat.

As the author of this story, I have so much planned to intrigue anyone who dare join, write, and provide aid to my technique. To join, please fill out the form found on my account, in my bio, and please write with detail for me to choose wisely which characters to use. I want diversity, and opportunity to tell the story of these girls with immense brilliance to bring them to life on the screen of your phone, computer, etc. Give me something to work with, but I do have the authority to deny your submission of a character or ask you to change something if it proves problematic.

If you are new to this, ask me whatever you'd like, and if you have any questions about the storyline, please tell me. I am willing to do anything if you want to join but have problems with understanding. I am so excited for this story to unfold and evolve as time goes. Thank you to anyone who desires to give me support.


	2. Announcement!

**Big announcement!**

I will be _reposting_ this story to bring it anew on the first page when alike topics are searched. I want to get the word out and get more people, and if you have already submitted a character, thank you! Make sure to stick around and keep watching for new chapters as they come along.

Also, get the word out and around if you can! I want as many people in as I can!


	3. ANOTHER ANNOUNCEMENT

**Y'all ... If you're only following this story, that won't help you at all.**

 **Go follow the other story on my profile where the actually story is, and where the new chapters will be posted.**

 **Thanks my dudes.**


End file.
